Petrobras World’s Fourth-Biggest Energy Company

Petrobras rose from the ninth to the fourth place in the ranking of the 50 biggest energy companies in the world according to the PFC Energy think tank.

The calculation considered the companies’ market value in December 2009.

According to PFC Energy, Petrobras’ stock value increased 103% during the year, more than the top three in the ranking (PetroChina, Exxon and BHP Billiton). The think tank highlighted Petrobras’ quick growth rate, which rose from the 23rd to the 4th place in eight years. In this period as its market value rose from $98.8 billion to $199.2 billion. The ranking is available at http://www.pfcenergy.com/pfc50.aspx.